Calendars are tough – finding calendar time for all topic relevant events for a city, community, or church is a real challenge – on that note, some may know Sunday, February 27 was the last Sunday of Black History Month for our nation – for the Southern Baptist Convention, it was also Racial Reconciliation Sunday, and has been since 1965 – surprisingly, this year, the event drew criticism from some SBC leaders, including the SBC-affiliated Conservative Baptist Network – yes, that does seem odd.

All of us have a historic path that brought us to where we find ourselves today – SBC is no different – founded in 1845 after splitting with northern Baptists, the SBC had a history of opposing the abolition of slavery and advocated for the ordination of pastors and the commissioning of missionaries who owned enslaved people – however (and more important), the SBC has made a concerted effort to break ties with the racism from its past, advocating for racial justice and inclusion through 20+ resolutions and initiatives, from the middle of the 20th century into the present, including Racial Reconciliation Sundays.

Racial reconciliation efforts by the SBC have often been met with backlash and opposition from some within our ranks, this year’s Racial Reconciliation Sunday included.

So, why would some SBC leaders push back on Racial Reconciliation Sunday? Curious indeed – we know Biblical principles should direct all our steps – we also know racism and racist behavior is a sin – Biblical principles teach us sin is separation from God, and must be dealt with to remain in a right relationship with God – so, I guess the question is, why the rub between Southern Baptist?

Perhaps relevance is a good place to start – does racism or racist behavior exist in our cities, communities, and churches today?

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC put out materials for SBC churches to use if their church supported a commemoration of the event this year – the material said in part, “Racism has its roots in demonic strongholds that aren’t easily bound. They are primarily spiritual.”

The Executive Committee for the SBC shared a link (link provided below) to these materials across SBC churches and affiliates – this action received a number of negative responses, as well as some bewildered replies from SBC pastors and leaders who were confused as to why a 57-year tradition of one Sunday dedicated to racial reconciliation had become so controversial.

Here is one of the more challenging responses to the Executive Committee, “How sad that you all can make such a spectacle of the Lord’s day. Every Sunday should be for worship. There should never be different ‘themes’ that seem so man-centered rather than God/gospel centered.”

I can’t decern if this negative response implies, we should NOT have the likes of: Sanctity of human life Sunday, WMU Sunday, church planting Sunday, SBC seminary Sunday, religious liberty Sunday, send relief Sunday, global hunger Sunday, CP Sunday, orphans and widows Sunday, etc., etc…

…or this negative response is correct, and we’ve weakened our attention for God/gospel centeredness.

…or is this negative response a grossly misguided effort to deny racism in our cities, communities, and churches

Its hard to know where our hearts are – either way, I truly hope you, your families, and your friends made time to commemorate Racial Reconciliation Sunday with “some” of the SBC community.

Resources provided by The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Commission:

https://erlc.com/resource-library/topic-index/racial-reconciliation/

These thoughts are more about being careful with what we hitch our “belief” wagons to, and not really the Supreme Court case I’m about to reference – why do I make this distinction?

Never forget, there are many political groups cloaked as “Christians” leveraging churches to fill their coffers and build support for their (less than transparent) political agendas – Christ told us to do our research… well, what He really said was, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

Here we go… The Supreme Court announced 14 Jan 2022 it will hear oral arguments in the case Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which former football coach, Joe Kennedy, is seeking to reverse a lower court decision – Kennedy is asking for:  “…relief in an action brought by a high school coach who alleged that his school district retaliated against him for exercising his First Amendment rights when it suspended him for kneeling and praying on the football field’s fifty-yard line in view of students and parents immediately after high school football games.”

What is this case really about? On the surface it doesn’t seem controversial – many conservative political organizations and news agencies are ginning up awareness for this case under the facade that this is a 1^st Amendment and freedom of prayer case – please consider (for yourself) the facts and details from the (easy to read) lower court ruling in the *pdf link provided below.

The world already sees many white Christians as dumb hypocritical narrow minded racists knuckle heads – mostly because (honestly) sometimes we act that way – so being clear about facts is important – facts in real life are just like facts in the Bible – the better we know them and study them, the less likely we are to be hoodwinked by the “wolves” of the world – why does it matter?

Every time we visibly hitch our “belief” wagons to one of these “wolves” and their agendas, we illustrate to the world that WE ARE EXACTLY WHO THEY THOUGHT WE WERE – our affiliation with the “wolves,” means the world can no longer see that we are believers in Christ trying to share He message with the world  – think of it as a potential compromise to our ability to witness – seriously, (read this next line slowly) are our politics so important to us, that we’re willing to compromise our witness for our politics? Of course not! Are we sure?  

Kennedy (in the SCOTUS case) is probably a God fearing, praying, Christ centered person – I don’t have any ill will for him or his desire to pray – but reading and researching his case left me with more questions than clarity – his case is being framed as an open and shut case for SCOTUS – well, if it’s so open and shut, why was Kennedy ruled against multiple times on the way to SCOTUS? So, I started to do some digging – this is a good place for you to stop reading, and open the link to quickly review the lower case ruling for yourself – I do not want to taint your view of the case with my blah blah blah…

Welcome back – as you saw (from your reading the lower case ruling)  there are a lot of ways the circumstances and conditions surrounding Kennedy’s desire to pray could have been handled better –  ways that did not require any violations of documented school board or human resource policies – remember, the coaches and team had already been praying together before and after each game, and many team events for years without fuss from parents, school board, or left leaning organizations – perhaps, the chest pounding, attention grabbing, religion baiting, stirring up misinformation media hype, and plunging political platforms actually hurt Kennedy’s existing prayer practices with his team.

Somehow, we took an existing positive, Spiritually solid, well established routine prayer time and reframed it as a political agenda item – then we got a guy fired – then we made our desire to pray look like one of clown cars on the right wing crazy train – and now we find our cause for prayer embedded on ultra-right wing platforms along with racist hate agendas – remember, the world does not see us as we see ourselves – perhaps this is not our best witness opportunity.

How does this course of action help outreach?

How does this help the cause of Christ?

How does this encourage the lost to trust and listen to us when we share Christ’s message?

Finally, let’s think about what may be next – play it out in your head – if SCOTUS rules in favor of Kennedy…  which religious prayers will the ruling allow (on the 50-yard line after games) – who will pray those prayers?  Seriously, if this lower court ruling is overturned, do we really think the ruling will only apply to Christian prayers? Do we really think other religions (real or false) are going to just sit back and let Christian have that platform without spinning up even more chaos?

Quick Fun Fact Check – one of the foundations of the United States of America is freedom of religion – which religion? All religions – I make this point because the world is already considering this point ahead of us.

What does the world really see in all of this…  they see a political agenda chess pieces on a political posturing chessboard – you can bet your “perfect attendance Sunday school tie clip, the world does not see a Christ centered prayer ministry in any of this.

Remember, these thoughts have nothing to do with the case – these thoughts have everything to do with what we (as Christians) visibly hitch our “belief” wagons to.

Lower Court Ruling:

Click to access 16-35801.pdf

Click to access 16-35801.pdf

I enjoy all kinds of movies, but none more than a good documentary or reflections of historical events – for me, movies can be a great launch point into deeper questions, greater insight, different perspectives, and mostly fact checking, and real research.

I recently watched “Denial” – it is the 2016 movie based on the book “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier” – it recounts the true story of Deborah Lipstadt’s legal battle for historical truth against David Irving – Irving is a historian and author –  Lipstadt is a Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies  –  Irving accused Lipstadt of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier –  as it happens, the English legal system in defamation cases, puts the burden of proof is on the accused – so it was up to Lipstadt to prove the Holocaust occurred in order to not be found guilty of libel (interesting for sure).

The case, and movie were emotionally charged – viewers are lead back and forth across the two sides of the legal battle, as well as the historical content involved – as this historical journey unfolded, one can’t help but find themselves leaning back and forth from one side of the case to the other.

At one point in the movie Lipstadt surprised me – after the trial, but before the verdict, she addressed her students about the history of Nazis – she pointed out there are those who glibly say:

“If I’d been in Germany I would have never collaborated, I would have resisted.” She was speaking in contrast to the German people who had assisted Nazi’s in their efforts.

She continues, “Can you imagine, standing up to that enemy? It was an arduous, uncertain, and exhausting time. They believed they had to do it.” She appears to be sympathizing with the German people who assisted the Nazi’s.

Lipstadt goes on to say, “It’s only in hindsight do things get called heroic. At the time, they’re just afraid – afraid of how things will turn out.”

This is an interesting and captivating illustration of real people being impacted by human nature testing and compelling them into behaviors which support an absolute wrong – the compulsion is real despite the wrong – normal, everyday people forced themselves to deny a horrific wrong, and behave in support of the wrong, for reasons known only to themselves – these reasons can be speculated on, but for this text, we’ll focus on the fact that they denied a wrong.

In contrast, history has taught us there were many amazing people who did heroic things to counter act Nazi war crimes – but there were far more Nazi collaborator and sympathizers than the likes of these heroes.

This was a very powerful position for Lipstadt to embrace – it’s a position for us to consider as well – but not just in relation to Nazi war crimes – it should be applied to any unjust, horrific, abusive event in our collective histories – for thousands of years, people in power have oppressed another people groups for selfish motives – unfortunately, peoples on either side of the wrong found themselves in the position of having to deny and support the absolute wrong – its important to point out that to ‘call-out’ an absolute wrong often comes at the high cost of danger, uncertainty and often death.

Absolute wrongs from the last 500 years include, but not limited to: unjust wars and atrocities, genocides and ethnic cleansing, imperialization/colonization, forced migrations of indigenous peoples, enslavement, institutional forced labor/abuse, prejudices, racism, abuse of women/children, religious persecution, exacerbated disease and famine, riots and unrest, inhumane prisons/camps…  just to name a few – the actual list by name, participants and cost is embarrassing and exhausting.

In all these horrific events there is a common thread – there is a people group in power forcing a “wrong” onto another people group – I do not mean to oversimplify any of these events, but that is the absolute truth of all these absolute wrongs.

To the point, within all the people groups in power there are millions of normal everyday people forced to call-out or deny the absolute wrong in the face of danger, uncertainty, or death.

Today, many of us beat our chests and proclaim that we would have (without hesitation) called-out, and stood up to whatever the wrong was – we loudly proclaim our commitment to justice, equality, rule of fair law, compassion, and a long list of positive character traits we hope others are able to easily see in each of us – yet, not to be overlooked, are the real documented outcomes of so many historical absolute wrongs that (at the time) involved “hands-on participants” who proclaimed (at one time) the same devotion to those positive traits – read it again, this is important…

Can we see the unpleasant connection forming here? Its people, just like us, who became the facilitators and participants of all these historical (and modern day) absolute wrongs – yes, it’s people just like us – sorry.

To complete the point, there are much smaller numbers of people within the people groups in power (forcing a “wrong” onto another people group) who did call-out and stand up against absolute wrongs – these rare heroes are championed in many nations around the world today – there are many of these examples we could draw on and learn from, even though many of these heroes suffered greatly.

What is it that emboldens a person to face the danger, uncertainty, and possible death for the cause of a person suffering a wrong at the hand of another person?

What is it that causes a person to fear the danger, uncertainty, and possible death so much that they would deny an absolute wrong at the cost of an innocent’s suffering?

Mankind and human nature can be a mystery – perhaps we need to evaluate how we frame historical things – education for example – today education is in the crosshairs of change or collapse – depending on your politics – consider this framing exercise:

Education may not be memorizing that Stalin killed millions of his own people – education could be understanding how millions of ordinary Russians were convinced that Stalin killing millions of his own people was required – maybe real education is learning how to spot the signs of negative history repeating itself – but for this type of deductive reasoning to be taught, age-appropriate consideration of the historical absolute wrongs would have to be evaluated – this is a largely contested question in school boards today.

Getting back on track, addressing absolute wrongs within a people group – people and people groups are motivated by many things – power, money, fame, hate, control, resources, misguided religion, etc… – the wrongs produced from these motives can be framed a lot of ways, but none of them will measure up to right, just, or true – whatever motives cause the absolute wrongs within a people group, it’s easy to see how many people may struggle to call-out the wrong  – regardless of the struggle: shame, fear, uncertainty, danger, or even death an absolute wrong is still wrong and carries a high cost.

There is no way to unframe an absolute wrong – an absolute wrong has an absolute value that is a constant if not called out – there is no way to outlive, outlast, overlook, hide from, ignore, or bury an unaddressed absolute wrong – there is just no way… call it out, address it, or be prepared to repeat it – because in the end, most people are just not who we claim to be – we are just not prepared (for whatever reason) to deny an absolute wrong in the world around us.

“Denial” 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4645330/

“List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll“

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_anthropogenic_disasters_by_death_toll#List_of_political_leaders_and_regimes_by_death_toll

GOP (VA EO1)   -vs-   VA K-12 Public Schools – or…

How to Teach a Bad Thing Without Teaching the Thing Was Bad? Or…

Avoiding a Bad Thing Doesn’t Make the Bad Thing Less Significant or Go Away

Okay – let’s consider an issue that has captured the attention of our conservative, morally transparent GOP friends (of which, I am one) – there are now 17 states with executive orders, legislation pending, or approved outlawing K-12 public schools from teaching Critical Race Theory, or anything that may “cause division, guilt or discomfort” – yes, that’s a very open ended statement, but it is the actual phrase being shared from many governor’s offices.

So, public schools are to teach basic curriculum of K-12, and avoid anything that “may cause division, guilt or discomfort” as a result of teaching these basics – simple (maybe not simple)?

Perhaps this is an example of “Kobayashi Maru” like conditions our divided nation is forcing on itself to ensure one side of a political position maintains greater control of that political posture – as a reminder, the Kobayashi Maru is a fictional training exercise in the Star Trek franchise designed to test the character of cadets with a no-win scenario – are we really asking our public schools to manage a no-win scenario – how does anyone teach (age appropriate) rudimentary facts (not opinions) of our nation’s history, and be held responsible if an individual (student or staff) feels basic human emotions i.e. division, guilt, and discomfort…

For example, it is a fair assumption students may wonder why additional constitutional amendments were required to protect its nation’s citizens from its empowered citizens, if the nation previously announced “all men are created equal” with it’s declared independence, and established justice, domestic tranquility, welfare, and blessings of liberty for its citizens in its initial constitution.

Perhaps you feel our example is extreme, unfair, or maybe facetious – perhaps you may feel inclined to one side of the example or the other (one might say, divided) – maybe you’re wondering if anyone bore guilt for the disparity – or perhaps the whole example is just too uncomfortable to consider – okay, I’m kidding – just stirring the pot – either way you can easily see the broader point – so, here’s the concern – are we testing the character of our teachers and schools, or are we really exposing our own character?

To be fair to GOP governors (and CPACs), their efforts are truly not this vague or simplistic – instead of trying to interpret sound bites from governor’s offices, let’s look at Virginia’s recent Executive Order 1 as an example – a link to the actual VA EO1 is at the bottom of this post – in the simplest of terms, there are four basic concepts of VA EO1:

1. VA public schools will “end the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory” – there are more descriptive, and greater details coming from deeper within VA EO 1.
2. VA public schools will focus on “imparting critical knowledge and skills in math, science, history, reading…” – for the purpose of this posts, we’ll address the teaching of history.
3. VA public schools will not teach “only view(ing) life through the lens of race and presumes that some students are consciously or unconsciously racist, sexist, or oppressive, and that other students are victims” – we’ve made the assumption that VA EO1 infers this “lens” applies to present day, and future students, public school staff and leadership – this distinction will have relevance later in this post.
4. VA public schools will, “…equip our teachers to teach our students the entirety of our history –– both good and bad. From the horrors of American slavery and segregation, and our country’s treatment of Native Americans, to the triumph of America’s Greatest Generation against the Nazi Empire, the heroic efforts of Americans in the Civil Rights Movement, and our country’s defeat of the Soviet Union and the ills of Communism, we must provide our students with the facts and context necessary to understand these important events…” – we have underlined some words from this extract of VA EO1 for use later in this post.

In addition to the four basic concepts listed above, VA EO1 also defines “inherently divisive concepts” as it applies to the first basic concept, and the purpose of application and execution of the executive order –  “For the purposes of this Executive order “inherently divisive concepts” means advancing any ideas in violation of…”

1. Title IV (promotes the desegregation of public schools) and Title VI (prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including, but not limited to of the following concepts:
2. One race, skin color, ethnicity, sex, or faith is inherently superior to another race, skin color, ethnicity, sex, or faith.
3. An individual, by virtue of his or her race, skin color, ethnicity, sex or faith, is racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.
4. An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race, skin color, ethnicity, sex or faith.
5. Members of one race, ethnicity, sex or faith cannot and should not attempt to treat others as individuals without respect to race, sex or faith>
6. An individual’s moral character is inherently determined by his or her race, skin color, ethnicity, sex, or faith.
7. An individual, by virtue of his or her race, skin color, ethnicity, sex, or faith, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, ethnicity, sex or faith.
8. Meritocracy or traits, such as a hard work ethic, are racist or sexist or were created by a particular race to oppress another race. 

So, “inherently divisive concepts” that are NOT to be advanced in public schools K-12 include: segregated discriminating schools, the existence of inherently superior oppressive discriminating peoples, people’s physical traits (race, skin color, ethnicity, sex, or faith) afford them authority, or moral character to apply responsibility on other peoples for past actions, and people’s successes/failures are tied to physical traits.

SIDEBAR: We’re always puzzled when we see the language used in VA EO1 in connection with CRT – that language is the “media hype and political motive” versions of CRT, not actual CRT – we should always do our own research, so we’d know CRT doesn’t mean Whites today have culpability – or that our White skin bears responsible – or false narratives of our history is the fault of Whites today – CRT’s main point is, there always has been and continues to be life altering challenges for people of color in our nation, and it would be great if we could acknowledge that, and stop pretending that all is well with our nation.

Now that the stage is set, let’s get back on track – “how does anyone teach (age appropriate) rudimentary facts (not opinions) of our nation’s history, and be held responsible if an individual (student or staff) feels basic human emotions i.e. division, guilt, and discomfort…”

It’s important to point our that VA EO1 requires public schools to teach (and it should have stated “age appropriate”) the entirety of history, and provide students with the facts and context necessary to understand these important events (NOTE: the events referred too are the events outlined in VA EO1 basic concept number 4) – if Virginia public schools are to teach the entirety of history leveraging facts and context necessary for students to understand the importance of the applicable history, it would naturally include these fundamentals of US history:

Birth of a nation, American Indian Story, American slavery, Civil War, US Expansion, Western Migration, the Great Migration, the Industrial Revelation, the Great Depression, Prohibition, Jim Crow Laws, Reconstruction, Segregation, Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Liberation Movement, US involvement in foreign wars, etc., etc…

These fundamentals of US history, if facts and context are leveraged as required by VA EO1, would also include:

-instances of unequitable funding for schools, infrastructure, and essentials of life.

-occurrences of suppression and abuse of women and people of color.

-cases of unjust and unequal policing, legal justice, jury selection, and sentencing.

-circumstances of unequal and illegal real estate, mortgage, lending, and banking practices.

-illustrations of suppressed and illegal application of voting rights and voting districts.

-incidences of illegal and restricted access to health care, GI Bill, and compensation for veterans of color.

And there’s the problem – there’s the impasse for public schools – associated with each fundamental of US history, are layers and years of “how” and “why” – the specifics of each “how” and “why” illustrates the best and worst of our nation’s history – it is naive to believe these events can be taught without human emotions coming into play.

Seriously, the expectations of VA EO1 as well as other state’s efforts to control human emotions by manipulating education are simply absurd.

Consider the larger context beyond our political agendas – in this irrational effort to protect students from experiencing normal human emotions from our history, can we not see how “divided and uncomfortable” Americans in power have made subordinate Americans feel all throughout our history? This hypocrisy screams for justice, transparency, and a better direction – to be clear, this division and discomfort experienced by Americans of color wasn’t just during their K-12 school years – it was division and discomfort for generation, after generation, after generation.

Furthermore, how are these legislative efforts not aligned with practices of an authoritative state? It’s well known that all nations have their own versions of history – but, when it comes to American that is simply not who we claim to be – we pound our chests and proclaim fairness, equality, and justice – but is that really who we are?

Perhaps there are better options and ideas for public schools – why not teach history from a perspective of evolving maturity and growth, measured against wrongs and lessons learned – focusing on gains as well as the hard work left to do – emphasize the greatness that comes from our unique diversity and creative differences – no nation is perfect and without error, American is no different – are we playing hide & seek with our history, or are we learning from it?

Remember, avoiding a bad thing doesn’t make the bad thing any less significant or go away – but learning from a bad thing, and making deliberate course changes is truly the mark of a great nation.

VA EO1: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/eo/EO-1-Ending-the-Use-of-Inherently-Divisive-Concepts.pdf

Fun Financial Facts:

Since the start of the pandemic, ten of the world’s richest people doubled their collective personal wealth – increasing it from o/a $700 billion to $1.5 trillion – all while personal incomes/resources of o/a 80% of the rest of the planet fell during that same time – even more fun facts, the same pandemic that stimulated their wealth, forced more than 160 million people into poverty, out of their homes, jobs, and reduced their available resources.

So, while the economy for average income folks struggles mightily, the stock market rallied exponentially –  this was in part due to monetary policies kicked in by the Federal Reserve leading to massive (often untaxed) wealth gains for those with deeper than most “market pockets” – market leaders continue to insist these measures will stimulate trickle down spending/wages – but in reality, these measures have left average wage earners  (who don’t have the same market pockets)  behind in the  continued compromised economy.

The wealth of these “lucky” few increased at a rate of o/a $15K per second – so…

one thousand one = $15K –

one thousand two = $15K –

one thousand three = $15K –

…you get my point – remember, $15K is equal to the annual income of a minimum wage worker – which is also way less than a realistic living wage – seems fair.

But wait, the fun continues, if these ten people were to lose 99% of their wealth, they would still have more wealth than 99% of the rest of the people on the planet – seriously, do the math, it’s important to see the disparity.

But wait, there’s more – the average American household paid 14% of their income in federal income taxes – that’s real money out of their bank accounts (I wish my taxes were that low) – in contrast, the wealthiest 25 Americans paid an average of 3.4% of their income in federal income taxes – wait, so the wealthiest Americans pay an average of 3.4%, which (as it turns out) is only 10% of my personal income taxed percentage –  not really a shocker, but I wanted to paint the picture – this gap is due to amazing and magical tax loopholes available to “all” Americans, right? Those dumb unwealthy Americans must not be doing their taxes correctly, right?

Finally, a fun quote stated by hundreds of economists, politicians, bankers, market specialists, tax experts, and yours truly, “One of the single most powerful tools we have to address the gross level of egregious and deadly income inequality is to tax the rich justly.” Ever wonder why this seems so simple but impossible to achieve?

To conclude, warm hugs to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bernard Arnault & family, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Ballmer and Warren Buffett (yes, these are the ten) – hang tough fellas, the pandemic has been challenging for us all (insert repulsed face here).

Statistics/facts published and partnered by World Banks, Forbes, Oxfam, ProPuiblica, US Internal Revenue Service, and Federal Reserve.

First, consider whether you find yourself motivated to observe MLK Day – yes, I meant to make us feel awkward (sorry) – it’s important, so please bear with me….

Those motivated to observe may engage in marches, parades, or hear speeches by civil rights leaders and politicians – some individuals and organizations may undertake volunteer efforts in support of MLK Day of Service.

Not everyone observes all significant holidays – why should MLK Day be any different?  Truth is, we’re all motivated by different emotional, physical, and phycological things – these things often move us in ways that cause us to engage, participate or observe a holiday – so, what’s the big deal?

So seriously, if we’re being honest about not being motivated to observe MLK Day, please consider two things:

1. I guess we’d have to ask ourselves if we truly understand the movement, the cause, and the motives behind the Civil Rights Movement that Dr Martin Luther King Jr. championed – please consider this illustration:

I was born in 1960 – growing up I remember members of my family reacting emotionally to the deaths of Robert Kennedy, Vivian Leigh, Judy Garland, and Elvis Presley – my mother cried when Elvis died- she also cried when George Wallace was shot in an attempt on his life – in contrast, I do not remember knowing who Dr Martin Luther King Jr was, or that he had been assassinated – I do not remember any thing about the Civil Rights Movement until I got to high school.

We told “nigger” jokes in our house – our extended family referred to Blacks as “niggers” or “boy” – Thanksgiving and Christmas our family put out bowls of unshelled mixed nuts as a tradition – we commonly referred to Brazil nuts as “nigger toes” – our church denied Blacks the right to teach or hold positions of leadership until 1978 – I threw newspapers in a Black neighborhood and feared being there – I worked for a business that did not allow Blacks  – I was once directed to tell two young Black girls to leave the business, even though all they wanted was to place high school spirit posters in the window of the business – I was taught at home and in school, that the Civil War was a terrible injustice on the people and culture of the south.

I didn’t think we were hateful, or even prejudice – we were living a life, with a known tainted view of people of color – this tainted view was common among our family and friends – we viewed people of color as a poor pitiful people who should see themselves as blessed to have found themselves in this great nation – we were taught kindness, sharing, service, and charity – but the application of those traits was compartmentalized – as a child I only knew what I was taught, or what my limited experiences were.

Moving forward – I was in the military before my view of the world, people and cultures around me started to evolve – I met amazing, capable, intelligent people of color – I learned their stories, history and challenges – I moved and lived in diverse, multicultural duty stations around the nation and the world – I learned the story of Emmett Till and thousands of equally tragic stories about our nation’s history – I learned accounts, facts, and details about our nation that I never knew – all of the sudden, kindness, sharing, service, and charity took on new “uncompartmentalized” motives.

My time in the military opened my head and my heart to a greater understanding and desire to engage social justice efforts and movements – all of the sudden the entire world around me changed into something that actually measured up to New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ – the world around me started to make sense – Christ and His blessings and desires for us, are not just for the comfortable White Christians compartmentally  – Christ and His blessings are actually for all peoples collectively (key word here is collectively).

Challenges like poverty, starvation & homelessness – redlining – refugees fleeing for their lives – sex and slave trafficking – false convictions, imprisonment & execution – predatory lending – illegal and unjust wars & conflicts – prejudices and hate – inadequate healthcare – unjust policing, courts, judges, and juries –  industry driven by profits over life, compromised voting practices – gerrymandering, and failed government practices and policies (too many to list them all) took on whole new meanings with clear motivates to engage and address.

Please don’t get lost (or bored) in my story but understand my time in the military turned out to be so much more than service and a career – in spite of harsh “stink-eye” from friends and family, I could see I was the problem the whole time – I needed to ask, seek, and learn more about the people of color who were around me the whole time.

HERE’S THE POINT – before we disregard MLK Day, be honest with ourselves – have we done the work, or the research – have we challenged the culture, concepts, and postures we think are “right” – have we asked the hard questions, listened to the stories, or walked a mile in the shoes of a person of color – have we truly stepped out or our comfortable White culture and tried to understand what it’s like NOT to be White in this nation?

In fairness to us all, we only know what we know….  But do we know enough? Do we know enough to cast doubt on a movement that tens of thousands have given their lives for?

Now remember, I asked us to consider two things before we decide about observing MLK Day – here’s the second thing:

2. What motivates those who do observe MLK Day, and why are they so passionate about it? What are the components of their history, culture, and experiences that make them see observing MLK Day as important?

Consider this – they have lived, or learned the truths so many of us continue to deny – they are the testimony and evidence of the components, history, culture, and experiences that give legitimacy and purpose of the Civil Rights Movement defended by Dr Marin Luther King Jr – why would we seek this validation from anyone else? I must ask it again, why would we seek this validation from anyone else?

Finally, I asked, what’s the big deal (this is my favorite part) – the lesson’s our nation is slow to learn – the rights denied to so many – the justice refused to those most in need – the equality our nation promised to all her citizens, but denied to many…   these are all fundamental Biblical truths and Constitutional rights that have been denied and unjustly applied to millions of people of color in this nation, the land of the free – and that’s a big damn deal.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Melanie Moore, a mother of two elementary school students made a really good point about “the past” at a recent Georgia School Board meeting (link provided below) – I’ve taken her point and pulled the thread a little deeper and further.

What’s the big deal about the past – why are we so divided about studying, considering, and possibly correcting our understanding of the past – well, let’s consider why the past is traditionally considered….

Historian’s study the past to learn and write about it – they are regarded as an authority on the past – historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time – the concept of history would have little value if lessons from the past were not studied and considered.

Clergy from established religions study past lives and events of deity i.e. God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit – clergy also study the lives and events of previous clergy i.e. prophets, disciples, lay leaders, Popes, pastors, priests, preachers, etc. –  their studies and research vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve learning and presenting specific rituals and teaching of their religion’s doctrines and practices – religious, or church history is given great relevance as it relates to understanding, trusting and living a religious life today.

Investigators of investigative organizations study the past to uncover clues and insight reference to incidents, accidents, catastrophes, disasters, and crimes, and components involved in these events – including information about the histories of equipment, structures, practices/habits, contributing factors, suspects, victims, witnesses, and those who make statements or testify – each component of an investigation has a past to be studied to better understand the event in question.

Doctors, scientists, researchers, engineers, developers, technicians, etc… study the pasts of their specific discipline as a component of their area of expertise, or one or more of the natural or physical sciences – every year (for thousands of years) man’s knowledge and understanding of these areas, and natural and physical sciences are updated, and changed based on these continuous studies.

Psychologist and psychiatrist, who study the mind and behaviors, also study the pasts of patients, peoples, and people groups to gain better understand, knowledge, and research to solve mind related problems, such as treating mental illnesses, behaviors, social conduct, and disorders – lessons learned from past behaviors, experiences, practices, and deeds are foundational components for these critical areas of study.

At this point I think it’s fair to state two observations:

1. Studying and learning from the past is part of the bedrock of most (if not all) areas of study accepted by greater humankind.
2. Studying and learning from the past is considered a fundamental source of validation, development, enhancement, and correction of most (if not all) areas of study accepted by greater humankind.

Yet somehow, our nation finds itself petrified at the concept of considering our nation’s past as a possible source of insight for some the national level challenges our nation is faced with today – seems weird, right?  Why would we freely consider the past in most (if not all professional studies), but not consider the past when addressing our nation’s grotesque racial divide?

Bottom line upfront  – the need for equitable education in our nation is critical now more than ever – one might say, the lack of equitable education in the past, is the reason it’s so critical now – the events of our nation’s past have relevance and contributing factors now, and in our nation’s future – it’s the same consideration why the past is important to religion, science, medical, engineer, economic, agriculture, investigative, etc… studies – it should go without saying, to also consider the past when evaluating social sciences, injustice, prejudice, human influences and behaviors.

Our nation is long overdue for honestly, decisively and transparently addressing the much-needed healing from our 400-year-old racial division – we must consider the truth about our past so we can learn how to be, and implement a real change for our future – the undeniable awful events of our past must be systematically connected across thousands of related historical tragic events leading to our current racial divide – this exercise is critical for level setting, accepting and growing from our past.

This exercise has everything to do with diversity and truth in education, and nothing to do with shaming, indoctrination, or guilt – its simply a matter of referencing all stories of all citizens being taught and considered as factors of our nation’s history.

All nations are responsible for righting the wrongs of their forefathers, in the same way that all nations benefit from the positive events from those same forefathers – our current generations did not create this racial divide, but we are responsible for changing the current course of our history – hard truths about any nation’s past are the keys to better future for that nation – we have to do better – we can do better – but, will we?

Link to Ms. Moore’s remarks:

This is Melanie Moore. From Georgia. The mother of a third-grader and a fourth-grader.

Please watch…pic.twitter.com/a2opMGmntj

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) January 2, 2022

Goodbye 2021!

Accept lessons learned and caring concepts.

Disregard unkindness and destructive precepts.   

Reflect on the efforts done for those in need.

Abandon selfish division and hurtful deeds.

Hello 2022!

Keep kindness, caring and generous giving.

Drop fear, hate and unforgiving.

Forgive us Lord, us for wasted opportunities.

Thank you Father for another year of possibilities.

Make a difference.

Okay, I took a calculated risk earlier this week (silly me) – I stepped into the discussion swirling around Critical Race Theory – I got a lot of positive feedback (thank you) – but, I also got punched in the face a lot more (LOL).

I entered the CRT discussion with only three motives:

1. To point out CRT is primarily an illustration of how our nation applied Constitutional ideals, Biblical principles, and moral values (we claim to be foundational to our nation), which left people of color with lasting disadvantages.
2. To contrast the difference between what the “talking heads” (press, media, politics) claim CRT is, verses what CRT really is.
3. To challenge us to think for ourselves, do our own research and quit giving power to the talking heads (on both sides of the argument) about controversial issues like CRT – never forget, they get paid every time we click, listen to, or share their controversial issues.

It appears, I missed my motive’s mark – that’s on me for being naive – I had no idea some would still “punch me in the face” without reading, or doing research, and only restating false premises of the talking heads – tragic.

I score myself 1 and 1.

-My effective use of motives: I failed.

-Some made my point for me: Success.

“The Boogeyman Will Always Be at the Door if We Never Open the Door.”